Ali Günçar

Ali Günçar — Biography

Ali Günçar was born on 19 May 1970 in Afyonkarahisar, Turkey. After coming through the youth ranks and turning professional with Gençlerbirliği, he moved to Beşiktaş, the club he is best remembered for, where he spent six seasons as a defender. Because the squad already included an older player of the same first name, Ali Gültiken, fans nicknamed Günçar "Küçük Ali" (Little Ali) and Gültiken "Büyük Ali" (Big Ali), a nickname that became one of the most lasting marks of his playing career.

He was also capped for the Turkish national team and was part of the squad at the 1991 Mediterranean Games. After retiring as a player, Günçar moved into coaching, working as a youth-team trainer with Yeni Afyonspor in his home city, and he is still remembered locally as one of Beşiktaş's legendary figures.